Re: It's NBA time

Simmons' articles are decent but as an on-camera analyst he's so insufferable. But yeah he's not nearly as bad as Broussard and his endless mystery "sources" for bogus signing rumors and meetings, aka himself.

Re: It's NBA time

Gasol to the Bulls. Unfortunately not in a sign and trade as I was hoping for but good for him.

May not be a sign and trade but I still think the Lakers would be odds on favourites to pick up Boozer when he is amnestied - with Houston being the other frontrunner in my mind.

I am not sure how to feel about this, it is similar emotions to when we signed Boozer. We swung for the fences and missed on the big names and grabbed a consolation prize that is very good player but questionable fit. To me there's players out there who I would have taken first but I am not upset as I have always rated Pau. I just hope Taj Gibson is cool with this.

At least there has been a flurry of activity instead of the random conjecture of the last few weeks, some really interesting moves being made. I am still confused by why the fuck Isiaah Thomas went to PHX though?

Re: It's NBA time

Originally Posted by zachattacks11

Simmons' articles are decent but as an on-camera analyst he's so insufferable. But yeah he's not nearly as bad as Broussard and his endless mystery "sources" for bogus signing rumors and meetings, aka himself.

Petros and Matt "Money" Smith basically called Broussard out for this during one of their shows this past week.

Re: It's NBA time

Originally Posted by unit300021

Lakers claim Boozer, honestly not really sure how I feel about it. I guess they won the bid with only 3.25 million so it's not that bad.

Exactly - the value of a guy like Boozer is surely relative to his wage, at 16+ million he is the definition of albatross but for 3.25 million he is a good get - particularly when the days of expecting 20/10 are long gone. The only question is how long before he rubs Kobe the wrong way with his carry on.

Today I watched the Pau Gasol introductory presser and I immediately see why he is so respected as a person over and above his rep as a player. I haven't really paid any attention to him off the court and it is nice to see such a smart, engaging and humble professional athlete.

Re: It's NBA time

I think both Washington and Charlotte can make big leaps in the standings. I could see both of those squads finishing in the top five in the east this year.

The Wall / Beal backcourt is only going to get better and the addition of Pierce gives them a much needed experienced veteran and is an upgrade over Ariza, even if he's at the end of his career. I think they overpaid to retain Gortat, but his presence on the court certainly benefits their interior.

The Hornets are interesting. They have a lot of young pieces. Kemba, MKG, Vonleh, Zeller and Biyombo are all very talented, developing youngsters. The addition of Stephenson could be what puts them into the top four or five of the East. That young core plus Al Jefferson can be competitive.

Cleveland over Miami
Washington over Brooklyn
Chicago over Atlanta
Toronto over Charlotte

Second Round:

Cleveland over Toronto
Chicago over Washington

Conference Finals:

Cleveland over Chicago

NBA Champion: Cleveland Cavaliers

I am biased, but fuck it.

As far as my standings, I like OKC to reclaim the top spot out West. The Spurs are still a contender, but they've never won back to back titles and I don't think that starts now. Durant just turned 26 and is coming off an MVP season. Their roster is well constructed and I can see them unseating the Spurs in the West. I also picked Portland ahead of the Clippers because I believe that Portland's roster is better constructed from top to bottom. I believe Lillard is the most underrated point guard in the NBA and Aldridge is looking for a big payday. I have them upsetting the Spurs in the second round. They can spread the floor well and have a strong, defensive minded center to round out their lineup. I like calling upsets and this is what I came up with this year.

In the East, I think Cleveland is the clear favorite and I don't think it's a close second. The Bulls are being handed one of the top two spots, but I am not impressed with their roster to the point where I think they will challenge the Cavs. in fact, I have Washington surprisingly finishing ahead of them. Wall and Beal provide one of the best young backcourts in the NBA with Nene and Gortat providing one of the better frontlines in the east. Pierce is an upgrade over Ariza even at this point of his career. It will be close, but I think the Wizards leapfrog Chicago by a hair. When they meet in the playoffs, however, the game slows down and I think Thibs can out-coach Wittman.

Stephenson helps Charlotte make the jump but the rest of the East is a crapshoot. I think Miami is going to fall to the eighth seed due to lack of healthy talent.

Last edited by GuyInTucson; 10-07-2014 at 09:11 PM.

Originally Posted by guedita

And to be fair to fikus, violent strangulation is one of his better qualities.

Originally Posted by malcolmjamalawesome

Being dead is literally the only way anyone on the planet could give less of a shit about you. You look like Farrah Fawcett's melted corpse.